Third-Round Of Vaccination Against Polio Kicks-Off In Zimbabwe

By Purity Marungisa
Amidst reports of the continued presence of a polio outbreak in Malawi and Mozambique, Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) will from today (Tuesday) commence a door-to-door polio vaccination programme aimed at protecting children under five years of age.

The mass vaccination exercise targets to jab at least 325 000 children in Harare alone according to health officials from the City of Harare.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Zimbabwe confirmed that the campaign started in Belvedere Harare Tuesday.

“Nationwide Polio vaccination campaign has kicked off with children under 5 being targeted. In Belvedere Harare, house-to-house teams received a refresher training before deployment from Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) coordinator Dr. Khalid Abdelrahim,” WHO said through its official Twitter handle.

According to WHO, the Poliomyelitis virus which may cause paralysis and death, has no cure but can be prevented.

“The only sustainable response is prevention, by ensuring everyone is vaccinated, at the right time and with the right vaccines.”

Meanwhile, in Bulawayo services will be accessible from all clinics in the city while the fourth round is scheduled for June 27 to 30.

Through the MoHCC, Zimbabwe last year distributed over six million vaccine doses across all 63 districts of the country, with the support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

The first round of vaccination took place in October last year while the second round followed in December.

According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the number of people afflicted with polio has however declined. Nhau/Indaba